Phantom of Death
Alternative Titles: Un delitto poco commune; A Face; Bestia asesina; La tueur de la pleine lune; I metamorfosi; La casa di Via Rubens; Squilibriol; Off Balance – Der Tod wartet in Venedig; Off Balance; An Uncommon Crime
Director: Ruggero Deodato
Year: 1988
Starring: Michael York; Edwige Fenech; Donald Pleasence; oh and Giovanni Lombardo Radice pops up
Context:
PHANTOM OF DEATH represented somewhat of a test run for Deodato in terms of the genre, being his first real ‘giallo’ or thriller although in the same year he would also release DIAL:HELP.
Despite this being his first real foray into the genre he was working from a script put together by established genre writers and past collaborators Gianfranco Clerici (JUNGLE HOLOCAUST; CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST; HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK) and Vincenzo Mannino (HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK) as well as writer Gigliola Battaglini.
Meanwhile the cast had a fine pedigree with the already established actor Michael York (THE THREE MUSKETEERS; LOGAN’S RUN; AUSTIN POWERS series) in the lead role being supported not only by Donald Pleasence (HALLOWEEN; ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK; PHENOMENA) but also the gorgeous and iconic Edwige Fenech (THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS; ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK; YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY; STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER) in one of her last major feature film roles. Interestingly Deodato did not want Fenech in the role but was forced into casting her due to pressure from the producers.
The film was shot across several Italian locations including Empire Studios in Rome, Perugia, South Tyrol and of course Venice which was worked into the storyline.
Director Ruggero Deodato would pop up in this film with a brief cameo as he can be seen hopping onto a moped at the train station.
Synopsis:
Robert Dominici is a pianist suffering from a rare genetic condition causing his health to deteriorate. At the same time a mad man is going on a killing spree and Inspector Datti is charged with stopping him, only to end up having his daughter threatened by the killer.
Review:
A bizarre opening see's Robert (Michael York) playing the piano to a sophisticated crowd, a female scientist walking home alone and most bizarrely of all a ninja with a samurai sword chopping apples off the body of another person. Three distinct and separate scenarios that instantly intrigue the viewer into thinking how the dickens will Deodato join these strands up?
Well quick enough our scientist is dispatched giving us a reason to meet Inspector Datti, a cop that encapsulates every Donald Pleasence investigator ever. Pleasence clearly has a way of playing law enforcement and seemingly every character has the same mannerisms but that is not to say he is bad but rather just Donald Pleasence or perhaps even a parody of himself.
After a couple of unsavoury incidents our pianist Robert, now under considerable stress, takes refuge in Venice while Datti has his own issues to contend with, namely threats made against his daughter and this dual arc works well in not only further establishing character and motive but also the depths and desperation as to which our characters will sink.
As things progress the nature of the plot sees Robert's character encounter several personal revelations from which he realises the stakes are even higher than first thought and that the killer must be stopped at all costs!
The film provides a much more morbid, internalised and depressive tone than much of Deodato's prior work and while the timelines from the very beginning make little or no real sense it doesn’t detract from the film. Although it would be interesting to know if this was an oversight with the writing or more likely something that came about during the editing process.
Michael York's performance is very strong for the genre, particularly in a scene which demands he confesses his pain and sorrow to a priest, with this burden weighing heavily on his mind he becomes almost a pitiful creature leading us to the realisation that Deodato and cast never play this film for laughs despite the bizarre concept and absurd nature of the whole thing.
It is this bizarre concept that makes the film unique separating it from the usual murder mystery or giallo fare, although the fact that we soon learn who the killer reduces this element and the film soon becomes much more a game of cat and mouse in a thriller style. Taken in this spirit PHANTOM OF DEATH provides enough entertainment and bloody violence to appease most if not all Italian horror fans and at the price Shameless charge for their movies is well worth picking up.
Version Reviewed:
We reviewed the 2007 DVD release from Shameless which is a little light on the extras front. Not only lacking additional audio or subtitle options but the disc only comes with a film trailer and a Shameless forthcoming attractions trailer reel.
Edwige...yes please.